Regulator



v. D. CARROLL REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJB |919.

1,384,554. Patented July 12, 1921.

Z mu/W UNITED s'luarlssv VINCENT D. CARROLL, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

f REGULATOR.

rSpecfcati'on.of Letters Patent. v Patntgd 1y 12 1921,

Application ledvAugiust 18, 1919. Serial No. 318,355.

To all LU/tom t may Concern:` i Be it known that I, l/INOENT D. CARROLL, a citizen of the United States, residingat IChicago, in the county otCook and State of Illinois, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements in Regulators, ofwhich the following is a specification. k

This invention relates -to regulators.

It relates particularly vto regulators for controlling the supplyfoitheating medium to a fluid heater and container. f l

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved regulator for Controlling the supply of heating medium.

Another Objectis to provide a reliable, simple, Ainexpensive and compact regulator, Which Will automatically control the supply ofheating medium iny accordance with variations in the pressure Within the container.

` Another object is to provide an improved regulator Which will conserve thel expenditure ot the heating medium.

lAnother object is to provide an' improved regulator capable of readyand accurate ad'- justment to meet different service conditions.

regulator which may be readily applied to existing equipment of fluid heaters and containers.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the-specification and claim.

In accordance With its preferred embodiment, the regulator comprehends a fluid controlled valve for regulating the supply of heating medium to the container, thefluid controlling the valve beingv affected by the pressure ivi-thin the container so that when the pressure'diminislies'the valve opens-and when the pressure increases the valve closes.

The accoi'l'ipanying drawing discloses, for the purpose 'of illustration and explanation, an embodiment of the invention particularly adapted to control the supply' of gas to the burner of a water heater in accordance With the pressure Withinthe heater.A

In the drawings,

Figure 1 vis a sectional elevation 'of the regulator, associated With a Water heater which isshown in a reduced scale, and

Fig. 2 is a section of the regulatorv on line 22 of Fig. 1. p

The regulator has a supporting body of substantially U-shape With legs 5 and 6 and Another object is-to provide an improvedan interconnecting base 7. The body may be composed of suitable material, such as cast iron or cast steel. At the end of leg 6 is a inlet 8 and a gas outlet 9. Inlet S is connected to-a suitable source of gas supply, and outlet 9 is connected to the gas burner 10 of a water heater and container 11. The outlet is shown throughout most of its length in :a reduced scale,rbut it is to be understood that this is merely to facilitate illustration. The regulator controls the flow of gas from inlet 8 through Outlet 9 to burner 10, inaccordance with the pressure Within the container 11. The passage of gas is controlled by avarlve 'located in the top of leg 6. This valve comprises a hollow valve stem 12, VWhose lower end is adapted to be' Opened and closed by liquidl in the leg 6 tov regulate the gas to the burner. This 'opening and closing is accomplished by a liquid Whose condition depends upon the pressure Within container 11. Y

Within the regulator body is a substair tially U-shaped chamber 15, opening at one Aend into a valve chamber 16, and'at the other end into a pressure pipe 17, leading to the container 11. To condense the ldrawing a portion of pipe 17 is also shown in a reducedl scale. Chamber is lined throughout the greater portionI of its length with a small metal tube 18, such as steel. The use of a steel tube allows the bore of the chamber tobe'smaller than could readily be provided by coring the :body casting. The chamber is expanded at the end opposite the valve into a reservoir .19. The tube and reservoir are partly lilled With asuitable fluid, suohasmercury. The :bore of tube 18 maybe varied to suit the conditions ot service.y :An opening With a diameter of about :#:18 B'. & S. gagel has been found to give excellent results incontrolling a Water heater. f Stem 12 is threaded through the top Wall oIvalve chamber. 16 and its lower end is adaptedto seat against the bottom of the chamber or to. be separated at any desired distance therefrom. The stem is held in the desired position by a lock nut .22, which, throughA a AWasher 23, presses a gasket 211 againstk the top of the valve `chamber to provide' a gas tight ointand a positive lock for the stem. Q

The passage of gas from inlet 8 to outlet i' closes the valve chamber from the inlet,

yto allow the ready passage of gas.

sufficient opening being left above the dam Stem .12 is provided with a small opening 3() near the lowerend, but above the level to which `the mercury properly' rises. This opening is to allow the passage of a small quantity of gas to keep the pilot light of burner 10, burning, even though the valve is closed by the rise ofrmercury. A

Pipe 17 extends from thel upper end of reservoir19 intol the containery 11 above the `normal level-of the fluid being heated. The pipe is provided, at some` point, between reservoir 19 and heater 11, with a chamber. 31. This chamber is connected into the pipe by suitable couplings ,and has its upper end partly closed, a small opening 32 being provided for the passage ofv gas. 4Thepartly closed end of chamber 31 forms a valve seat for a small floating valve Valve 33, which may be of cork or other suitable buoyant material, normally rests at the bottom of Vchamber 31 upon an inwardly projecting notched ring 34;, as shown bythe full lines of Fig. .1.` In this position the pressure produced in container 11 is free to act upon vthe mercury in the regulator. However, if for any reason the container should be filled full of a liquid to bev heated, this liquid rising iny pipe 17 and chamber 31 raises valve 33 against its seat, as shown by the dottedplines, closing opening 32 to prevent the liquid from flowing into and mixing with the mercury in the regulator.

Valve stem 12 has a vcoupling 35 which allows the regulator to be readily connected in place in the gas line to the burner. A threaded opening in the upper end of leg 5 ofthe regulator body allowsready access to the regulator chamber for the purpose of inspection, cleaning and filling the tube with mercury. This opening is closed by a screw plug cap 32. A safety valve 37 may be provided in pipe 17, as an additional pro-v tection against excessive pressure in contamer 11. f

The operation of the regulator isas fol-VV ing 32.

ulator chamber.

below .that atl which the regulator'is adjusted to interrupt thel operation of the burner, the fuel flows from inlet 8, over dam 26, up through Vvthe opening in stem 12,

through outlet 9, to burner 10. The burner heats the liquid in container 11 and as the temperature of the liquid rises, the pressure "in the space above the liquid increases.

This pressure acts upon the column of mercury, through pipe 17v and chamber 31, against the weight `of thel mercury and the downward 'pressure of the gas from inlet 8,

which presses-upon the column-of mercuryvr Y through the right hand open end of chamber15. As the pressure in the container in creases, due to the rise in the Ytemperature of the liquid therein, the column of mer-j cause of the notch in the lower end of stem 12, this interruptionV of thev gas supply is gradual.- If they pressure and temperature in container 11 continues to rise, even-with the diminishing fuel supply, the mercury rises to completely shut offthegasexcept for the minute amount which may pass thrcliugh opening 30 to maintainv the pilot ligt. :l After the gas is shutoff, the liquid in container 11 will cool, if the pilotis not sufli# cient v.to maintain it at the proper tempera-V ture. The decreasing .temperature dimin# ishes the pressure abovethe liquid andthe column of mercury falls'jinthe right hand leg of the regulatorV and rises in the left hand leg thereof. The lower end ofl stem 12 is thus gradually opened and the sup-k ply of Vfuel to the burner is resumed.

,The point-ati which the regulator will act toV interrupt'and continueV the supply of gas may be readily regulated by raising or lowering the lopen end of stem 12 by threading Vthe stem out and in the-valve chamber. Thek viding the mercuryreservoir 19, Vsince -it allows a smaller movement of the column to furnish the necessary amount of mercury'to properly fill the bottom of valvechami y ber 16.

if container i1is,.Overiiea,withV a liquid, Y

theliquid rises in pipe 17 and chamber 31 and floats valve 33 upward toclose open-k This valve then effectively sepa- Y rates the liquid from the mercuryv in the reg- While one embodiment ofthe invention, particularly adapted to regulate `the ltemperature and pressure in av water heater, has been shown and described, many modiications and other adaptations may be made to meet varying conditions in this and other lields of service.

Having described my invention, What I claim is z- In combination with a pressure reducing liquid receptacle heated by a gas burner, of

a gas controller therefor comprising a struo.

ture having a U-shaped conduit partially filled with mercury, the conduit extending part Way down one leg on the pressure receiving side being much larger than the remainder of the conduit; a gas inlet pipe on the gas controlling side; an enlarged gas chamber between the gas inlet pipe and the gas controlling leg open at its top providing a dam, to prevent mercury from entering the gas inlet pipe; another chamber between the gas chamber and said leg; a vertically adjustable open tube extending into the latter' chamber; a pipe extending therefrom to said burner; means to lock the vertically adjustable tube in adjusted position and a float valve to prevent overflovs7 of Water from said receptacle into the gas controlling device.

In testimony whereof I vhereunto subscribe my naine.

VINCENT D. CARROLL. 

